August 10th, 2009
NSBShadow.com....
Published Weekly, Direct from the Web.
Look to Us for the Latest Intrigues and
Tell Your Friends About Us!
Visitor on this Site This Week.
(Nearly 2000 hits last week. Thank you, enjoy your visit and come back to see more.)
You are:
1.Perhaps Randy can run and beat them all. This would give Jeanne Diesen and Grayce final control of politics in New Smyrna Beach! But then Vandergrift wants back in so he can distribute your money to his friends. But then again, there are candidates that might not want to gve you money way. What a thought.
2.SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. Your health insurance premiums are supposed to up pay for indigent care. Most hospitals pay all cost for indigent car through negotiatons with these insurance companies. Bert Fish charges you about $400 in taxes. Why? Make them tell you!
“Best Blogs of the Week”
(Edited for grammar and punctuation)
A POTPOURRI OF CITIZEN COMMENTS IS
AGAIN PROVIDED THIS WEEK IN ORDER
FOR YOU TO GET IN TUNE WITH THE
MOOD OF OUR READERS
7/9/2009, 10:15 pm
Dark Shadow
I hear that the audits showed the 'goof' course has never lost $500,000 and this year it paid all bills and all but $37000 of its debt service. The Water taxi gets no money from the City and is expected to lose $6000 this year and has $215000 in cash reserves. Oh well folks, there is always the Angler's Club, the Fire Department pension fund, and your new favorite, Karen Clancy.
7/9/2009, 5:32 am
good bless the layed off workers.
I understand two more local factories just layed off several hundred workers in Edgewater and nab. I prefer not to name the co's and will let the local news name them. Realistically, this wasnt caused by the govts, but boy we are in trouble! It is sad to watch all of Volusia go belly up.
8/7/2009, 5:08 pm
worthless
Chamber has indeed let NSB languish. Steve Dennis presides over a cocktail club in bed with the city. This year they squatted in a building over 5000 sq feet for $1 and took $36,000 for historical tourism when we don't have any. They say nothing about others taking money for nothing or putting real business people out of business. They are part of the problem. Steve Dennis just initiated CRA vote to pay $9000 for a Christmas tree when many are losing jobs as business community implodes. It ain't happy hour in the real world...
8/7/2009, 5:01 pm
AH SO!
To: Explain to Me 633
This will take time and multiple blogs, we hope your questions are in earnest
No. 1
Their is no angst against Steve D. (I'm not sure you can have angst against someone) and it maybe bad juju to criticize a man so late in his career.
Mr. D. has spent almost two decades in the position of executive director of the Chamber. He has often boasted that he runs the City of NSB behind the scenes. He is the longest sitting member of the CRA as an employee of the Chamber. Taking him at his word and reviewing his list of meager accomplishments one surmises a connection between him and the perpetual poor condition of NSB business and the City's inability to attract amenities, appreciable tourism or large employers. Thus, it is easy to surmise that he is part of the long term problem.
If that is insulting we are sorry.
No. 2
The Chamber is not a government agency...
You are right. However over the years Mr. Dennis, Chamber Board members and numerous elected rep.s and NSB staff have prolonged a legend that the Chamber has been tasked with the responsibility of economic development, the betterment of businesses and tourism - the Chamber gets money from SVAA and the City, including reduced or "free" rent - thus they are defacto an agent of the City and County.
OK - that’s enough for now...
8/7/2009, 4:32 pm
Blue Moon
To Nelson M. Not everyone hates the Chamber; there are just an awful lot of disappointed citizens. The Chamber also is the victim of a City without a plan and goals to achieve those plans. Absent proactive leadership they are just another ship waiting for the wind.
Why is the Chamber supporting the Mayor? Who else is there? We have three candidates with no experience in this City’s government. Candidates are being gathered like dust on flypaper.
Not everyone hates the Angler’s. Lots of solid citizens are Anglers. Whether they should step forward and show sufficient gratitude for what they receive from the taxpayers is certainly a topic for debate. In these lean economic times it is to be expected that they would be scrutinized.
If Bar ringer could bring the Anglers to the table to negotiate an agreement that would be more in keeping with modern times, he would have taken a step towards being a viable candidate. More such steps and he could run for Commissioner. The field is wide open.
If Marilee could bring us a hotel on Flagler she would have taken a step towards being a viable candidate. More such steps and she could run for Commissioner.
With all three candidates the question is what have you done for us lately? Just as with the Mayor it is not only about what you promise you are going to do, it is about what you have in progress, and about what you have already done.
8/6/2009, 11:32 pm
An Idea
Since the Chamber cannot demonstrate that they have brought to or improved business in NSB then the Chamber should be thrown out of City (CRA) property into the street post haste
The new CRA consulting report is a good start
8/6/2009, 11:25 pm
Clarion Call
IF the RECIPIENTS of taxpayer considerations, including :reduced or free rent; tax $$ for capital improvements to their real private property; kayaks; sheds; cosigning of leases; advertising for street parties; etc. CANNOT SHOW MEASURABLE RESULTS TO THE TAXPAYER THEN THEY ARE GUILTY OF THEFT.
All bloggers need to post infractions of which they are aware
8/6/2009, 10:46 pm
Florida Resident
To:NSB Taxpaying Residents and Commercial Property Owners
You idiots, you let an uneducated failed businessman employed by the local Chamber sit on a board with his employers for over a decade and spend your money on a bunch of crap for his friends and in turn brought you no measurable returns
Save face, read the Florida Constitution, hire an attorney and sue the City, CRA, individual CRA members and the Chamber, Flagler Merchants and Canal Merchants for using tax dollars to benefit themselves and produce less than incidental benefits to the citizens
8/6/2009, 9:53 pm
Money for Nothing
CRA wants to spend our money to buy Sides Car Lot. I think it’s a good idea for a new park. That way when we all become freaking homeless we can live there! When it rains we can run under the bridge or sleep on porch of Women’s Club. Thanks for watching out for us Steve Dennis, Bob Lott, Doug Hodson, Linda DeBorde, Fatty Kosmos and Charles Belote. You’re the best!
NOTES
1. It is rumored that the anglers club wants to negotiate a lease after over forty years of ripping off the city; the city refuses and threatens to sue them. What kind of legal advice are you giving the city Mr. Gummey. Just go with legal opinion you paid for. Evict them; they do not have a lease! If they object, they can sue. So what. You are essentially on a retainer.
2. It is also rumored that the police and fire unions do not plan to support Sally in the coming election. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing for the other candidates. But then Sally might benefit if they support someone else! But then again, nobody might want their support.
DEAR PAM
As we have stated in the past, we realize that the City Manager is limited in the resources available to her for pursuing cost reduction projects, so we have decided to help her out and provide draft letters for her review. As we have said, this will free her up for important things, like dealing with all the serious problems of the police and fire department pensions.
TO: Mayor Mackay
FROM: Pamela Brangaccio, City Manager
I KNOW YOU THINK IT IS WISE, BUT SHOULD THE CRA BE SPENDING ANOTHER $125,000 FOR THEIR CONSULTANT SO CLOSE TO ELECTION AND TAX TIME I DO NOT THINK THE VOTERS ARE SO STUPID THEY WILL FORGET ABOUT IT?
Pam
WHEN WILL THE CITY ACT ON
THE ANGLER’S CLUB LEASE?
We know that the Club will try to lease it or buy it cheap and that at least two or three of the Commissioners will make a stab at some private deal that will hurt the City and each and every taxpayer. Delay in leasing for market value here is a loss of money. Immediate sale in a bad market is selling out the taxpayers. A private deal for lease rather than a public bidding process is a sell out. It will not cost the City a dime to pursue this matter since it has a $300,000 attorney on staff, and, if they want to, they could fire him and give the same money to the Orlando law firm to defend the law suit if the 90 white men sue the City. *Evict them and get an outside appaiser before starting the negotiations for a lease.
THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CRA)
ANOTHER NAME IT SEEMS FOR “ALL IN THE FAMILY”
It is certainly a lousy idea for one person to control two of the seven seats on a board. But what is worse is if that person is also the real owner of a newspaper that should be reporting on bad spending of money, and the CRA Board continues to spend money foolishly. The Observer will never complain about getting tax money to fix up the Chamber building rented from the City for $1 a year. Bob Lott, the owner of the Observer is the President of the Chamber of Commerce. It will never question why Bert Fish Hospital, where the Observer owner has sat on the Board, gives $850 a pop feel good ads to the Observer. It will support every wasted dime for Canal Street events that will not bring a dime to any of the merchants. Well, more to the point, they spend a dollar to generate a dime for the merchants.Put bluntly, those beholden to the Observer publisher (oh, his wife is the owner) should resign from the CRA. *
ACCIDENT ON A1A
Last week we described an accident on AIA where there were 11 emergency vehicles: One County Fire Engine (first responder), one NSB fire engine and an NSB SUV emergency response vehicle, one EVAC vehicle, three Volusia County Police Vehicles, three Beach Patrol, and one US Park Ranger Vehicle. We figured that this would result in six reports for accident response. We asked for each, but figured that we eventually would get at least three--- from the two fire departments and EVAC. The accident was a small truck going off the road on the East side of A1A, hitting a concrete post for a tennis court light, and the driver being air evacuated to Halifax Hospital.
The following response was posted on the BLOG at 7:15 AM Monday morning by what we believe is someone from the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department:
“LETS START WITH THIS CALL WAS ALL INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS. IF ANYBODY WAS "OUT OF THEIR AREA" ITS WAS ENGINE 21. BEACH PATROL WAS FIRST ON SCENE FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON. NOT A LOT OF BEACH SAND IS FOUND ON A1A. THE AMOUNT OF COP CARS WAS NEEDED DUE THE "HELICOPTER" LANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF A1A TO FLY THE INJURED PERSON OUT. LETS PLEASE GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT PROIR TO RUNNING YOUR GATOR. THANKS.”
ANSWER FROM THE SHADOW:
1. The County-New Smyrna Beach agreement on First Response requires County Station Number 21 to respond, not NSB Engine #52. LINK **Engine number 21 arrived about two minutes after the call. Engine 52 arrived a couple of minutes later and was immediately shown as available for another call—i.e. not needed at the accident site almost as soon as it left the fire station. The ‘being available’ time for Engine 52 is shown as seven seconds after dispatch. LINK The accident was probably only a mile from Station 21 (2/10ths of a mile from the South City boundary line as against almost three miles from NSB Station on Third Avenue).
2. The ‘unknown’ reason at least one Beach Patrol car that they were there first and it was probably only a block away.
3. It does not take seven police vehicles to temporarily block A1A for a few minutes. Northbound was already blocked by the Park Ranger’s car, and the South bound traffic was already stopped. Clear road South of the accident left a half mile of A1A already available for a helicopter. However, the Sheriff’s officers are needed to guide the helicopter to a safe landing.
There were no lies in the article, and someone should tell the poster to get his facts straight before posting garbage. We still think that the reason some of them were there was that they were otherwise bored and some of these departments maybe wanted to add to their statistics for calls answered. In a month or two we will have some of the reports and it will show in all likelihood that six different agencies probably claim a chunk of adding to your public safety. Everybody involved has a protocol to provide public safety, but remember that we as taxpayers pay all of the costs regardless of which body responds and also for the ones that need not have responded. We are also delighted to see that at least one soul at the fire department reads the Shadow within 15 minutes of it being posted on Monday mornings. We thank the County for the prompt response for material that does not violate either the injured car driver’s privacy rights nor the 60 day delay in reporting requirements for certain reports.
THE MAYOR HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR
We were thinking of publishing this campaign letter by the Mayor as the JOKE of the week. Then we thought why not share this with all of the taxpayers rather then just those who we believe sent her money or read the JOKE. We are sure that the Golf Club crew getting big subsidies agree that she has made “more efficient use of our tax dollars”. And they will hoist a beer at the fire and police stations for that one too. Those that thought Lowes, Wal-Mart, and Ruby Tuesday should be built and add to the tax base will cheer her claim of “economic redevelopment & job creation”. We guess she hopes you forget the years of fumbling the Angler’s Club fiasco when they read she has been “fiscally responsible & proactive”. Certainly Clay Henderson and Jeanne Diesen must have taken a refresher course in creative writing when they wrote this letter for her. It smacks of the same junk that had every body thinking two years ago that Sally had a college degree, and even one from a prestigious school rather than some attendance at an agricultural college in South England. Here is her campaign letter. Roll up your sleeves and help her find her college degree. We had a good laugh when we read her letter. LINK
